For my review of Part 1 of The Seven Storey Mountain click here.
Parts 2 & 3 of The Seven Storey Mountain were much more enjoyable for me. And as a result, I got a lot more out of these sections of the book. I think in the end I had the expectation of the later Merton who was much more open to non-Catholics. The harshness of the young Merton (and Father Louis) was a little unsettling for me.
The things that stuck most for me in this section were nuggets of wisdom about discernment and vocation. Merton’s journey from conversion to the monastery was fascinating for me as well. My reading of this book has been timely for me. This was of course a purposeful reading on my part. With the hiatus of my path to seminary it has been a time to rediscover aspects of my faith. My faith hasn’t been something I’ve questioned, however I have let it coast somewhat recently. Its time for me to get my hands a little dirty with my spiritual life again.
I’m going to take a weekend retreat at Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey next month. I’m really looking forward to this time to really focus on my faith life. There are also a few sections of The Seven Storey Mountain that I plan to meditate over the next month or so. I’ll probably post on a few of those later on this blog.
